HOCKEY; Not Exactly Revenge, but Rangers Defeat Devils

By LYNN ZINSER

Published: October 17, 2006

It could hardly be considered revenge for the Rangers, who could not think that one regular-season victory would erase the pain of losing in the playoffs to the Devils last season. But a 4-2 victory against the Devils last night at Madison Square Garden still felt like a warm blanket in a cold season.

Any victory over their cross-Hudson nemesis is welcome for the Rangers (3-3), but this one also ended a three-game losing streak, a funk that culminated Saturday in a 7-4 shellacking in Buffalo.

The Rangers had a team meeting the next day and Coach Tom Renney sat the players down in a classroom session littered with lectures about hard work and responsibility. But even Renney conceded that the Devils might have had as much to do with reaching his team as he did.

''It's one of those nights when you really appreciate your opponent because they'll either bring out the best in you or the worst in you,'' Renney said. ''And we seemed to be able to rise to the occasion. Let's face it, they helped us find our game, at least to a certain point.''

Defenseman Aaron Ward and forward Jason Ward each scored for the Rangers, as did Brendan Shanahan and Martin Straka. For the Devils (3-2), centers Scott Gomez and Travis Zajac had the goals.

The victory pushed the Rangers back to .500 and it showcased the content of Renney's lectures. He said he felt as if he had been talking himself blue about defensive responsibilities and managing the puck, concepts that had seemed completely lost on the Rangers in their previous four games.

''We just needed to start it right,'' said goalie Henrik Lundqvist, who made 34 saves, including several spectacular ones while the Rangers were trying to hold their lead. ''We don't have to score two goals in the first period. We have to be more patient.''

The Rangers played a smart, solid scoreless first period. They did not muster a lot of offense, but they did not give up much, despite taking three penalties.

The Rangers were called for seven penalties in the game, while the Devils were called for only one. But the Rangers killed off all seven, putting on a specialty teams clinic. And for a change, Renney was ranting at the officials instead of at his players.

''Brutal,'' Renney said. ''We're trying to beat the other team, not to mention calls that may or may not exist. Looking at the tapes, it makes you scratch your head a little bit.''

When the Rangers finally had their power play, with the score tied at 1-1 late in the second period, Shanahan blasted in a goal with 1 minute 31 seconds remaining.

When the Devils went on a power play soon after, the Rangers turned it into their first short-handed goal of the season.

Jason Ward created it by poking the puck away from Gomez along the boards in the defensive zone and passing it to center Matt Cullen. Ward followed Cullen down the ice, then put the rebound of a shot by Cullen past Devils goalie Martin Brodeur.

That gave the Rangers a 3-1 lead with 33.6 seconds left in the second, a lead they successfully defended in the third. After that, the Rangers could let out a collective sigh of relief.

''We wanted a hard-working game,'' Jason Ward said. ''We needed to get back on the winning track. We know we have a great team in here, but we have to prove it on the ice.''

To do it against the Devils made it particularly satisfying. This was a game loaded with drama, considering the last time the teams met, the Devils finished off a 4-0 sweep in the first round of the playoffs.

In the off-season, the Devils and the Rangers also battled over the free-agent forward Patrik Elias. When the Rangers did not offer him a no-trade clause, Elias re-signed with the Devils for seven years and $42 million.

So instead, the Rangers went out and signed Shanahan to a one-year, $4 million deal. Shanahan's goal last night was his seventh in six games; he leads the N.H.L.

Shanahan has also been a voice of reason, a steadying force in the locker room. He was not shy about his disappointment with the team's play during the losing streak.

''It's embarrassing when you lose like we did in Buffalo,'' he said. ''There are a lot of hard-working guys on this team, but we got away from working together. But it's one game and I still feel like we've got some work ahead of us.''

SLAP SHOTS

Rangers defenseman Darius Kasparaitis played his first game after missing the first six because Coach Tom Renney did not believe he was in good enough shape after two operations in the off-season. It was also Kasparaitis's 34th birthday.

Photos: Martin Brodeur stopped 25 shots for the Devils, but the Rangers prevented him from collecting his 450th career victory.; Henrik Lundqvist made 34 saves for the Rangers, who showed improvement on defense against the Devils last night at Madison Square Garden. (Photographs by G. Paul Burnett/The New York Times)